Commencement  Addresses 

June  21,  1916 


The  Centennial  of  John  G.  Saxe 

by  John  G.  Saxe,  LL.  D. 

The  Value  of  the  Small  College 

by  Howard  Elliott,  LL.  D. 


Middlebury,  Vermont 
July,  1916 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign  Alternates 


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THE  CENTENNIAL  OF  JOHN  G.  SAXE 


Mr.  President — most  eloquent  of  Presidents — 
Fellow  Alumni,  ladies  and  gentlemen  : 

I rise  with  a great  deal  of  pride,  a heart  full  of 
thanks,  and  a mind  treasuring  fond  traditions  of  Ver- 
mont and  Middlebury  College.  I rise  to  represent 
the  Saxe  who  is  not  here,  to  reply,  for  all  the  Saxes, 
to  the  toast  which  you  have  offered  to  our  ancestors, 
and  to  represent,  incidentally,  the  Saxe  who  is  here 
and  to  express  my  own  thanks  for  the  honor  you 
have  conferred  on  me.  In  his  4 ‘Post-prandial  Verses’  ’ 
my  grandfather  referred  prophetically  to  your  action 
in  annexing  an  ULF.  D.”  to  my  name  : 

“Many  thanks  to  old  Cadmus,  who  made  us  his  debtors, 

By  inventing,  one  day,  those  capital  letters, 

Which,  still,  from  the  heart,  we  will  know  how  to  speak 
When  we’ve  fairly  forgotten  the  rest  of  our  Greek.” 

It  is  thus,  from  the  heart,  that  I thank  you  for 
the  honor  you  have  done  me.  I,  myself,  have  done 
nothing  to  make  me  worthy  of  it.  Coming  as  it 
does,  on  the  anniversary  of  my  grandfather’s  birth,  I 
take  it  ex-officio.  But  I take  it  mounted  on  the 
pedestal  of  my  grandfather’s  devotion  to  his  native 
State  and  to  his  Alma  Mater,  and  crowned  with  the 
tribute  you  are  paying  to  his  memory  after  all  these 
years. 


4 


MIDDLEBURY  COLLEGE  BULLETIN 


So  also  it  is,  that  your  distinguished  President,  in 
inviting  me  to  address  you,  especially  prohibited  me 
from  talking  of  politics  or  love  or  war  and  instructed, 
directed,  and  commissioned  me  to  speak  solely  on  the 
life  and  works  of  this  same  Middlebury  graduate, 
John  Godfrey  Saxe.  I will  do  what  I can  to  tell 
you  about  him. 

Saxe  was  born  on  June  2nd,  1816.  He  died  on 
March  31st,  1887.  He  was  a lawyer,  an  editor,  a 
lecturer,  and  a poet,  State’s  attorney  of  Chittenden 
County,  attorney  general,  and  twice  a candidate  for 
Governor  of  his  native  State.  Middlebury  honored 
him  with  three  degrees  : its  B.  A.,  in  1839  ; its  M. 
A.,  in  1843  ; Its  LL.  D.,  in  1866. 

Just  as  Saxe’s  Alma  Mater  is  honoring  him  on 
his  one  hundredth  birthday,  so  also  Saxe  was  the  poet 
upon  his  Alma  Mater’s  fiftieth  birthday.  You  will 
recall  that,  shortly  prior  to  1850,  the  University  of 
Vermont  had  made  an  offer  of  marriage  to  Middle- 
bury and  that  after  the  usual  flirtation  our  Alma 
Mater  had  declined.  At  Middlebury ’s  Semi-Cen- 
tennial in  1850,  Saxe  read  his  4 ‘Song  of  Rejoicing,” 
“Carmen  Laetum,”  in  which  he  told  the  tale,  as 
follows  ; the  lady  to  whom  he  refers  is  of  course — 
Alma  Mater : 

“ Indeed,  I must  tell  you  a bit  of  a tale, 

To  show  you  she’s  feeling  remarkably  hale ; 

How  she  turned  up  her  nose,  but  a short  time  ago, 

At  a rather  good-looking  importunate  beau, 

And  how  she  refused,  with  a princess-like  carriage, 

‘ A very  respectable  offer  of  marriage.’ 


COMMENCEMENT  ADDRESSES 


5 


You  see,  my  dear  Brothers,  a neighboring  College 
Who  values  himself  on  the  depth  of  his  knowledge, 

With  a prayer  for  her  love,  and  an  eye  to  her  land, 

Walked  up  to  the  lady  and  offered  his  hand. 

For  a minute  or  so  she  was  all  in  a flutter, 

And  had  not  a word  she  could  audibly  utter ; 

For  she  felt  in  her  bosom,  beyond  all  concealing, 

A kind  of  a — sort  of  a — widow-like  feeling  !” 

The  poet  tells  about  the  courtship,  and  then : 

“Thus  the  matter  went  on,  till  the  lady  found  out, 

One  very  fine  day,  what  the  rogue  was  about, — 

That  all  that  he  wanted  was  merely  that  power 
By  marital  license  to  pocket  her  dower.” 

At  this  point,  the  poet  gives  us  Alma  Mater’s 
indignant  soliloquy  : 

“ Nay  ’twas  idle  to  think  of  so  foolish  a plan, 

As  a match  with  this  pert  University  man, 

For  I haven’t  a chick  but  would  redden  with  shame 
At  the  very  idea  of  my  losing  my  name ; 

And  would  feel  that  no  sorrow  so  heavy  could  come 
To  his  mother  as  losing  her  excellent  home. 

’Tis  true  I am  weak,  but  my  children  are  strong, 

And  won’t  see  me  suffer  privation  or  wrong ; 

So,  away  with  the  dream  of  connubial  joys, 

I’ll  stick  to  the  homestead,  and  look  to  the  boys  !” 

The  poet  concludes  : 

“ One  little  word  more,  and  my  duty  is  done  ; — 

A health  to  our  Mother,  from  each  mother’s  son  ! 
Unfading  in  beauty,  increasing  in  strength, 

May  she  flourish  in  health  through  the  century’s  length ; 
And  next  when  her  children  come  round  her  to  boast, 
May  Esto  Perpetua  then  be  the  toast !” 


6 


middlebury  college  bulletin 


At  the  time  Saxe  delivered  his  “ Carmen  Lae- 
tum  ’ ’ Middlebury  boasted  of  two  buildings  : Painter 
Hall,  erected  in  1815,  and  the  Chapel,  built  in  1836. 
To-day  it  has  thirteen  buildings,  ten  of  which  are  on 
the  campus.  It  has  refused  other  offers.  It  has  lived  a 
second  half-century.  It  has  progressed  sixteen  years 
on  its  third  half-century.  In  wishing  our  Alma 
Mater  health,  wealth,  and  prosperity,  I sincerely 
repeat : 

“ May  Esto  Perpetua  ever  be  our  toast.” 

Saxe,  as  a lawyer  and  an  editor,  took  considera- 
ble interest  in  the  public  affairs  of  Vermont.  Indeed, 
he  almost  became  Governor  of  the  State.  He  was 
the  Democratic  candidate  in  1859  and  i860;  and  he 
undoubtedly  would  have  been  elected,  if  he  had  been 
the  Republican  candidate,  or  if  he  could  have  in- 
voked a system  of  cumulative  voting  and  arranged  to 
have  all  the  votes  cast  for  him  cast  in  a single  year. 
As  it  was,  he  had  no  chance.  But  out  of  his  cam- 
paign there  have  arisen  quite  a number  of  amusing 
incidents — one  of  which  he  tells  himself  : 

“When  John  was  contending  (though  sure  to  be  beat) 

In  the  annual  race  for  the  Governor’s  seat, 

A crusty  old  fellow  remarked  to  his  face, 

He  was  clearly  too  young  for  so  lofty  a place. 

‘ Perhaps  so,’  said  John,  ‘ but  consider  a minute ; 

The  objection  will  cease  by  the  time  I am  in  it !’  ” 

Saxe  was  a Democrat.  In  addressing  the  Tam- 
many Society  on  July  4,  1870,  he  paid  his  compli- 
ments to  the  Republican  party  in  this  wise  : 


COMMENCEMENT  ADDRESSES 


7 


“A  party  which  bases,  with  singular  ease, 

Immoral  proceedings  on  ‘ Moral  idees  * ; 

Denounces  small  rogues  who  are  caught  in  the  act, 

But  favors  the  big  ones,  or  holds  them  intact ; 

While  their  arms,  at  the  moment,  grown  bolder  and  bolder, 
Are  plunged  in  the  treasury  up  to  the  shoulder. 

Success  to  old  Tammany,  long  may  she  stand 
The  bulwark  of  freedom — the  pride  of  the  land  !” 

Saxe’s  democracy,  however,  read  through  his 
writings  and  his  poetry,  is  a democracy  to  be  con- 
trasted, not  with  Republican  principles,  but  with 
aristocracy.  His  was  the  democracy  of  friendship  and 
humor,  which  delights  to  send  shafts  of  good  nature 
and  wit  at  pretension  and  snobbery.  You  read  this  in 
his  satires  “Progress”  and  “The  Money  King.” 
You  will  find  a delightful  example  in  “The  Proud 
Miss  MacBride  : ’ ’ 

“ Of  all  the  notable  things  on  earth, 

The  queerest  one  is  pride  of  birth, 

Among  our  ‘ fierce  Democracee  * ! 

A bridge  across  a hundred  years, 

Without  a prop  to  save  it  from  sneers, — 

Not  even  a couple  of  rotten  Peers, — 

A thing  for  laughter,  fleers,  and  jeers, 

Is  American  aristocracy  ! 

“English  and  Irish,  French  and  Spanish, 

German,  Italian,  Dutch,  and  Danish, 

Crossing  their  veins  until  they  vanish 
In  one  conglomeration  ! 

So  subtle  a tangle  of  Blood,  indeed, 

No  modern  Harvey  will  ever  succeed 
In  finding  the  circulation  ! 


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MIDDLEBURY  COLLEGE  BULLETIN 


“Depend  upon  it,  my  snobbish  friend, 

Your  family  thread  you  can’t  ascend, 

Without  good  reason  to  apprehend 
You  may  find  it  waxed  at  the  farther  end 
By  some  plebian  vocation  ; 

Or,  worse  than  that,  your  boasted  Line 
May  end  in  a loop  of  stronger  twine, 

That  plagued  some  worthy  relation  !” 

One  word  more  about  Saxe’s  democracy.  He 
was  a Vermont  Democrat,  and  I like  to  feel  that  I, 
perhaps,  have  followed  in  his  footsteps.  It  is  diffi- 
cult to  make  comparison  between  his  day  and  this  ; 
not  because  of  the  intervening  half  century,  but  be- 
cause, then,  there  were  vital  partisan  issues.  Today 
there  are  none.  Review  the  debates  of  the  last  four 
years.  Read  the  platforms  of  the  last  few  weeks. 
Among  the  nominal  differences  between  the  Demo- 
cratic and  the  Republican  party  there  is  not  one 
which  is  vital  The  Tariff  is  the  Gulf  Stream  of 
politics.  It  now  flows  through  both  parties,  and 
each  is  trying  to  catch  the  other  in  bathing  and  steal 
his  clothes.  The  Tariff  issue  is  dead.  Both  parties 
demand  a tariff  commission,  which  will  soon  be  real- 
ized. The  Currency  issue  is  dead.  The  currency 
bill  enacted  by  the  present  administration  fulfilled 
the  promises  of  both  parties.  There  is  no  partisan 
issue  in  Preparedness.  Both  parties  fully  recognize 
that  the  American  people,  in  the  language  of  Theo- 
dore Roosevelt,  “must  make  the  nation  as  strong  as 
its  convictions.”  There  is  no  partisan  issue  in 
Mexico,  which  my  friend,  Mr.  Patrick  Francis  Mur- 


COMMENCEMENT  ADDRESSES 


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phy,  has  aptly  described  as  “that  country  where 
peace  occasionally  breaks  out.”  There  is  no  partisan 
question  in  foreign  relations.  The  dispute  between 
Democrats  and  Republicans  is  no  more  acute  than 
the  dispute  between  Republicans  and  Republicans 
and  between  Democrats  and  Democrats.  The  great 
alternative  before  the  country  is  : Do  we  want  honor, 
regardless  of  whether  we  have  peace  ? or,  Do  we  want 
peace,  regardless  of  whether  we  have  honor?  On 
this  vital  issue,  neither  party  has  declared  itself. 
Each  party  falls  back  on  the  disingenuous  boast  that 
it  is  made  of  such  superior  metal  to  its  rival  that  it 
will  guarantee  both  honor  and  peace  ! In  other 
wTords,  the  dominant  issue  is  non-partisan,  and  de- 
mands an  alignment  wholly  apart  from  the  hereditary 
party  alignment.  In  this  connection,  it  is  a pleasure 
for  me  to  find  among  my  grandfather’s  writings  that 
note  of  sternness  in  his  Vermont  Democracy,  which 
would  not  permit  him  to  be  “too  proud  to  fight.” 

“It  was  a noble  Roman, 

In  Rome’s  imperial  day, 

Who  heard  a coward  croaker, 

Before  the  Castle,  say  : 

‘ They’re  safe  in  such  a fortress  : 

There  is  no  way  to  shake  it ! ’ 

* On,  on,’  exclaimed  the  hero, 

‘ I’ll  find  a way,  or  make  it ! ’ 

Is  fame  your  aspiration  ? 

Her  path  is  steep  and  high ; 

In  vain  he  seeks  her  temple, 

Content  to  gaze  and  sigh ; 


IO 


MIDDLEBURY  COLLEGE  BULLETIN 


The  shining  throne  is  waiting, 

But  he  alone  can  take  it 
Who  says,  with  Roman  firmness, 

‘ I’ll  find  a way,  or  make  it !’  ” 

Do  we  prize  our  nation’s  honor? 

Or  do  foreign  sales  suffice? 

Two  years  of  watchful  waiting 
Spell  peace  at  any  price  ! 

There  is  one  road  to  honor, 

And  now’s  the  time  to  take  it, 

If  we  have  still 
The  Roman  will 
To  find  a way,  or  make  it ! 

This  last  verse,  I hasten  to  state,  is  not  humor- 
ous, but  posthumorous. 

Saxe  thus  had  his  claim  to  fame  as  a public  citi- 
zen of  Vermont.  He  is  best  known,  however,  as  a 
poet,  and  I could  not  attempt  to  do  justice  to  him 
without  quoting  from  one  or  two  of  his  poems.  In 
my  opinion,  Saxe’s  foremost  poems  are  4 ‘Progress,” 
“The  Money  King,”  “The  Proud  Miss  MacBride,” 
and  “The  Rhyme  of  the  Rail.”  In  many  respects 
the  last  is  the  best.  It  was  first  published  in  the 
Knickerbocker  Magazine  in  1843,  when  Saxe  was 
only  twenty- seven  years  of  age.  It  was  reprinted 
through  the  United  States  and  in  England.  It  ran 
thus : 

* Singing  through  the  forests, 

Rattling  over  ridges, 

Shooting  under  arches, 

Rumbling  over  bridges, 


COMMENCEMENT  ADDRESSES 


II 


Whizzing  through  the  mountains, 
Buzzing  o’er  the  vale, — 

Bless  me  ! this  is  pleasant, 
Riding  on  the  Rail ! 

Men  of  different  ‘ stations  * 

In  the  eye  of  Fame, 

Here  are  very  quickly 
Coming  to  the  same. 

High  and  lowly  people, 

Birds  of  every  feather, 

On  a common  level 
Traveling  together  ! 

Stranger  on  the  right, 

Looking  very  sunny, 

Obviously  reading 

Something  rather  funny. 

Now  the  smiles  are  thicker, 
Wonder  what  they  mean? 
Faith,  he’s  got  the  Knicker- 
Bocker  Magazine  ! 

Ancient  maiden  lady 
Anxiously  remarks, 

That  there  must  be  peril 
’Mong  so  many  sparks  ! 
Roguish-looking  fellow, 

Turning  to  the  stranger, 

Says  it’s  his  opinion 
She  is  out  of  danger  ! 

Singing  through  the  forests, 
Rattling  over  ridges, 

Shooting  under  arches, 
Rumbling  over  bridges, 


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MIDDLEBURY  COLLEGE  BULLETIN 


Whizzing  through  the  mountains, 

Buzzing  o’er  the  vale, — 

Bless  me  ! this  is  pleasant, 

Riding  on  the  Rail ! 

Saxe  also  wrote  quite  a number  of  travesties 
upon  the  classics,  such  as  “Icarus”  and  “Pyramus 
and  Thisbe,”  not  to  mention  a modern  edition  of 
“Othello,  the  Moor.”  In  writing  these  travesties, 
he  invariably  pointed  a moral.  You  all  remember  the 
story  of  Icarus,  son  of  Daedalus,  a carpenter  of  Athens: 

“ Now  Daedalus,  the  Carpenter,  had  made  a pair  of  wings, 
Contrived  of  wood  and  feathers  and  a cunning  set  of  springs, 
By  means  of  which  the  wearer  could  ascend  to  any  height, 
And  sail  about  among  the  clouds  as  easy  as  a kite.” 

Icaus  stole  the  wings,  fastened  them  on  with 
wax,  attempted  to  fly  ; the  sun  melted  the  wax  and 
Icarus  fell  and  was  killed.  The  poet  ended  this 
tragic  tale  as  follows  : 

“The  moral  of  this  mournful  tale  is  plain  enough  to  all ; 

Don’t  get  above  your  proper  sphere,  or  you  may  chance  to  fall ; 
Remember,  too,  that  borrowed  plumes  are  most  uncertain  things ; 
And  never  try  to  scale  the  sky  with  other  people’s  wings  !” 

Among  other  inspiring  morals,  there  is  also  that 
appended  to  the  story  of  the  fisherman  who,  having 
imbibed  too  freely,  fell  off  his  log  and  went 

“ Down,  down  to  feed  the  fish 
He’d  baited  oft  before. 

The  moral  of  this  mournful  tale 
To  all  is  plain  and  clear, — 

That  drinking  habits  bring  a man 
Too  often  to  his  bier. 


COMMENCEMENT  ADDRESSES 


13 


And  he  who  scorns  to  1 take  the  pledge/ 
And  keep  the  promise  fast, 

May  be,  in  spite  of  fate,  a stiff 
Cold-water  man  at  last !” 


After  Saxe  left  Vermont  and  took  up  his  home 
in  Albany,  New  York,  he  became  a nation-wide 
figure,  lecturing  in  all  parts  of  the  country  and  being 
well-known  and  welcomed  everywhere.  His  sum- 
mers he  spent  at  Saratoga  Springs,  and  many  are 
the  anecdotes  told  of  him  at  Saratoga.  One  of  his 
poems,  not  perhaps  one  of  his  best,  but  one  of  his 
most  joyous,  is  the  “Song  of  Saratoga.”  It  is  writ- 
ten in  response  to  the  question,  “What  do  they  do  at 
the  Springs?” 

“Imprimis,  my  darling,  they  drink 
The  waters  so  sparkling  and  clear ; 

Though  the  flavor  is  none  of  the  best, 

And  the  odor  exceedingly  queer ; 

But  the  fluid  is  mingled,  you  know, 

With  wholesome  medicinal  things, 

So  they  drink,  and  they  drink,  and  they  drink, — 
And  that’s  what  they  do  at  the  Springs  ! 

Now  they  stroll  in  the  beautiful  walks, 

Or  loll  in  the  shade  of  the  trees ; 

Where  many  a whisper  is  heard 
That  never  is  told  by  the  breeze ; 

And  hands  are  commingled  with  hands, 

Regardless  of  conjugal  rings ; 

And  they  flirt,  and  they  flirt,  and  they  flirt, — 

And  that’s  what  they  do  at  the  springs  ! 


14 


MIDDLEBURY  COLLEGE  BULLETIN 


In  short — as  it  goes  in  the  world — 

They  eat,  and  they  drink,  and  they  sleep ; 

They  talk,  and  they  walk,  and  they  woo ; 

They  sigh,  and  they  laugh,  and  they  weep ; 

They  read,  and  they  ride,  and  they  dance, 

(With  other  unspeakable  things)  ; 

They  pray,  and  they  play,  and  they  pay ,— 

And  that’s  what  they  do  at  the  Springs  ! 

But  I am  rambling  on,  and  forgetting  one  of 
Saxe’s  admonitions,  taken  from  Quintilian,  that  a 
proper  speech  is  composed  of  a preamble,  an  argu- 
ment, and  an  end . 

“Three  parts  compose  a proper  speech 
(So  wise  Quintilian’s  maxims  teach), 

But  Loquax  never  can  get  through, 

In  his  orations,  more  than  two. 

He  doesn’t  stick  at  the  “Beginning 
His  “Middle”  comes  as  sure  as  sinning ; 

Indeed,  the  whole  one  might  commend, 

Could  he  contrive  to  make  an  “End  !” 

Brothers  of  Middlebury,  you  have  paid  my 
grandfather  a noble  tribute.  You  have  gladdened 
all  the  members  of  his  family.  On  his  behalf  and 
on  theirs — I thank  you  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart. 

“One  little  word  more,  and  my  duty  is  done ; — 

A health  to  our  Mother,  from  each  mother’s  son  ! 

Unfading  in  beauty,  increasing  in  strength, 

May  she  flourish  in  health  through  the  century’s  length ; 

And  next  wheh  her  children  come  round  her  to  boast, 

May  Esto  Perpetua  still  be  the  toast !” 


THE  VALUE  OF  THE  SMALL  COLLEGE 


I wish  to  express  my  profound  thanks  to  the 
Trustees  of  Middlebury  College  for  the  honor  con- 
ferred on  me  to-day  by  this,  the  oldest  college  in  the 
beautiful  Green  Mountain  State. 

Founded  in  1800,  Middlebury  is  not  so  old,  nor 
so  large,  as  that  college  which,  until  to-day,  was  the 
only  one  to  claim  my  loyal  allegiance, — Harvard.  I 
am  a great  believer  in  the  usefulness  of  the  smaller 
colleges  located  at  a distance  from  congested  centers 
of  population,  and  near  to  Mother  Earth.  We  all 
remember  the  story  of  Antaeus,  who  was  so  strong 
that  he  conquered  all  who  came  against  him, — how 
his  strength  came  from  Mother  Earth,  and  how  Her- 
cules finally  overcame  him  when  he  lifted  him  from 
off  the  earth  and  thus  prevented  him  from  renewing 
his  strength ; and  so  it  is  important  to  get  back  to 
Nature  if  we  are  to  keep  up  the  virility  of  the  Amer- 
ican people. 

In  1800,  when  this  college  was  founded,  Har- 
vard, founded  in  1636,  had  a faculty  of  12,  and  there 
were  210  students,  while  Yale,  founded  in  1701,  had 
a teaching  staff  of  11  and  217  students.  In  1850 
there  were  at  Harvard  32  instructors  and  604  stud- 
ents, and  at  Yale  43  instructors  and  531  students. 

Middlebury’s  catalogue  for  the  year  just  ending 
shows  43  names  in  the  teaching  and  administrative 


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MIDDLEBURY  COLLEGE  BULLETIN 


staffs,  343  undergraduates  from  12  states  and  foreign 
countries,  and  149  attending  the  summer  school, — a 
total  of  492.  Middlebury  is  showing  a rational 
growth . 

The  earlier  colleges  in  New  England  trained 
men  to  take  a large  part  in  shaping  the  future  history 
of  the  United  States.  The  influence  of  Harvard  and 
Yale,  100  years  ago,  was  important  and  far-reaching, 
and  they  did  great  work  with  endowments,  teaching 
staffs,  and  facilities  which  seem  meagre  compared 
with  the  elaborate  organizations  of  some  of  the  great 
universities  to-day,  both  private  and  state. 

In  a recent  edition  of  “Who’s  Who  in  Ameri- 
ca,’’ 20  per  cent,  of  the  names  mentioned  were  men 
born  in  New  England,  and  Vermont  has  a large  share 
of  illustrious  names. 

The  high  character  of  Middlebury  graduates  is 
shown  by  the  fact  that  in  its  first  100  years  among 
its  graduates  were  32  college  Presidents,  and  nine 
Governors  of  states. 

Never  was  there  greater  need  than  to-day  for 
men  of  the  type  turned  out  by  the  hard  training  of 
50,  100,  and  200  years  ago. 

“We  live  in  great  times — the  air  is  all 
a-throb  with  thought  and  feeling.  Great 
times  are  now  being  brought  about,  and 
never  was  there  a time  when  men  of  steady 
judgment  were  more  in  demand.” 

That  is  very  true.  The  conflict  on  the  other 
side  of  the  water, — after  the  physical  struggle  is 
over, — will  leave  conditions  the  result  of  which  no 


COMMENCEMENT  ADDRESSES 


*7 


man  can  accurately  foretell.  But  it  must  be  admitted 
that  there  is  likely  to  be  a very  serious  readjustment 
of  society  and  Government  and  of  the  relations  of  in- 
dividuals and  races — also  that  this  readjustment  is 
certain  to  have  its  effect  on  this  country.  It  is, 
therefore,  well  for  those  who  have  the  welfare  of  the 
nation  at  heart  to  use  their  influence  in  preparing  for 
the  future. 


Since  1870  the  nation  has  been  passing  through 
a remarkable  period  of  expansion  and  exploitation. 
What  do  the  figures  show  ? 


Population 

National  Wealth 

1870 

1916 

1870 

Miles  of  Railroad 

1912 

1870 

Total  Individual 

1910 

Bank  Deposits 

1870 

Imports 

1910 

1870 

Exports 

I9I4 

1870 

1914 

38*558,371 

100,000,000 
$ 30,068,518,000 
$187,739,071,000 
52,922 
249,992 

$ 2,182,512,744 

$17,024,067,607 
$ 435,958,408 

$ i,893,925,657 

$ 392, 771, 768 

$ 2,364,579,148 


The  total  number  of  immigrants  arriving  in  this 
country  from  1870  to  1910  inclusive  was  20,698,6x0, 
or  an  average  of  517,465  a year;  oftentimes  more 
than  a million  a year  arrived. 

These  figures  show  enormous  growth  and  wealth 
far  beyond  the  dreams  of  our  citizens  before  the  Civil 
War.  With  this  increased  wealth  have  come  greater 
comfort  and  health  for  the  poor,  the  moderately  well 


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middlebury  college  bulletin 


off,  and  all.  We  see  the  result  on  every  side, — bet- 
ter types  of  dwellings,  better  sanitation,  better  rail- 
road service,  better  lights,  greater  attention  to  the 
sick  and  poor.  Yet  we  have  not  succeeded  in  elim- 
inating discontent  and  unrest,  and  we  seem  to  have 
lost  some  of  the  marked  and  desirable  characteristics 
of  our  forefathers. 

To  accomplish  the  results  of  the  last  fifty  years, 
tireless  energy  and  prodigious  work  were  necessary, — 
work  to  plan,  work  to  execute.  Because  of  the  ap- 
parently unlimited  natural  resources  of  our  country 
and  the  great  immigration,  we  have  not  thought  suf- 
ficiently of  conditions  that  will  confront  us  when  we 
are  compelled  to  husband  our  resources  in  order  to 
compete  with  other  nations.  These  conditions  now 
face  us.  We  surely  can  help  ourselves  if  we  try  to 
practice  the  old-fashioned  characteristics  that  many 
are  pleased  to  call  New  England  habits.  These 
characteristics  and  habits  are  not  so  prevalent  as  in 
the  old  days, — traits  that  built  up  the  country  from 
the  Revolution  to  the  Civil  War,  and  which  I am 
glad  to  know  Middlebury  College  encourages. 

As  your  catalogue  points  out,  the  location  of  the 
college  favors  economy, — a sterling  habit  that  seems 
to  be  lost  sight  of  in  this  period  of  extravagance,  due, 
doubtless,  to  the  great  increase  in  wealth.  We  are 
extravagant  as  individuals,  and  our  Government, — 
Federal,  State,  municipal,  and  county, — reflects  that 
spirit.  As  a result,  we  are  piling  up  debts  that  will 
be  a burden  upon  many  a county  and  town,  and  the 
state  and  nation,  for  years  to  come. 


COMMENCEMENT  ADDRESSES 


19 


I am  engaged  in  the  business  of  transportation, — 
one  of  about  1,800, 000  people  employed  in  the  United 
States  in  that  important  work. 

Middlebury’s  gifted  poet,  John  Godfrey  Saxe, 
born  100  years  ago,  in  his  “Rhyme  of  the  Rail,” 
speaks  of  the  humanizing  effect  of  the  railroad  : 

“ Men  of  different  stations, 

In  the  eye  of  Fame, 

Here  are  very  quickly 
Coming  to  the  same. 

High  and  lowly  people, 

Birds  of  every  feather, 

On  a common  level, 

Traveling  together.” 

Suppose  each  man  in  the  service  could  save  only 
one  cent  a day.  It  would  amount  to  $5,400,000  a 
year.  That  saving  would  help  to  provide  additional 
facilities,  which  are  sorely  needed  in  many  parts  of 
the  country.  Numerous  other  simple  examples 
could  be  given  of  the  importance  of  economy  and  the 
practice  of  old-fashioned  New  England  thrift. 

The  college  in  the  country  has  a direct  influence 
for  sane  and  economical  living  which  is  an  offset  to 
the  extravagance  of  the  great  cities. 

There  is  another  habit  that  is  not  so  prevalent 
as  formerly — the  habit  of  work.  Those  who  made 
the  American  nation  what  it  is  to-day  worked  long 
and  hard.  The  spirit  of  hard  work  now  seems  to  be 
lacking  and  we  hear  constantly  that  eight  hours  or 
less  work  a day  is  all  that  a strong,  healthy  man 
should  do.  Where  would  the  United  States  now  be 


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M1DDLEBURY  COLLEGE  BULLETIN 


if  our  forefathers  had  been  content  with  eight  hours’ 
work  a day?  Where  will  the  United  States  be  in  the 
race  for  future  commercial  supremacy  among  the 
nations  if  this  spirit  continues?  We  have  ships  to 
build,  railroads  to  develop,  an  army  and  navy  to  be 
manned,  and  countless  tasks  to  perform.  Every 
patriotic  man  should  give  the  best  that  is  in  him, 
not  the  least,  if  we  are  to  avoid  serious  difficulties  at 
home  and  abroad. 

Then  there  was  the  old-fashioned  habit  of 
prompt  obedience  to  lawful  authority.  Some  of  the 
commercial,  financial  and  industrial  difficulties  of 
recent  years  can  be  traced  to  the  fact  that  daring  and 
ambitious  men  did  not  pay  attention  to  the  laws, 
man-made,  and  nature-made.  We  cry  out  against 
industrial  accidents  and  blame  the  corporations,  and 
yet  a large  proportion  of  all  accidents  are  traceable 
directly  to  failure  to  obey  lawful  authority. 

I recently  received  a report  from  the  Interstate 
Commerce  Commission  about  the  accidents  on  the 
New  Haven  Road  since  1911.  All  in  which  there 
were  fatalities  to  passengers,  the  report  said,  were 
due  to  the  failure  of  some  man  or  men  to  obey  the 
rules.  These  men  were  good  average  men  and  did 
not  mean  to  disobey  the  rules,  and  did  not  mean  to 
cause  accidents,  but  the  result  indicates  that  the  spirit 
of  complete  and  prompt  obedience  to  lawful  author- 
ity is  not  as  prevalent  as  it  should  be. 

The  great  growth  of  the  nation,  the  increased 
wealth,  the  luxury  and  extravagance,  the  ease  of  liv- 
ing, and  the  desire  for  amusement  have  made  some 


COMMENCEMENT  ADDRESSES 


21 


of  the  old-fashioned,  sterling  characteristics  and  hab- 
its seem  less  necessary  and  desirable  to  the  present 
generation.  Yet  if  we  are  to  prepare  properly  for 
the  future,  we  must  pay  attention  to  those  simple, 
homely  qualities  and  train  young  men  and  women  to 
believe  in  them. 

Without  character , high  sense  of  duty  and  will- 
ingness to  work  long  and  hard , all  the  u Prepared- 
ness” parades  and  meetings  will  be  of  little  avail. 

I sincerely  believe  that  in  a serious  crisis  the 
American  people  would,  in  time,  rise  to  any  emer- 
gency, but  it  would  be  far  better  if  the  daily  lives, 
the  manners  and  customs,  of  the  people  were  so  ad- 
justed that  a serious  crisis  should  not  be  necessary  to 
arouse  the  people  to  their  full  duty  to  the  country, 
individually,  socially,  and  politically. 

Oliver  Goldsmith  said  : 

“111  fares  the  land,  to  hastening  ills  a prey, 

Where  wealth  accumulates  and  men  decay  ; 

Princes  and  lords  may  flourish,  or  may  fade  ; 

A breath  can  make  them  as  a breath  has  made  ; 

But  a bold  peasantry — their  country’s  pride, 

When  once  destroyed  can  never  be  supplied.” 

Wealth  has  accumulated  in  the  United  States  to 
a marvelous  extent.  It  has  brought  much  good  and 
some  harm  to  those  who  have  not  the  moral  fibre  to 
differentiate  between  good  and  evil.  And  there  has 
been  too  great  drift  away  from  the  country  to  the 
city.  , 

The  college  in  the  country  is  furnishing  each 
year  graduates,  both  men  and  women,  who  go  out 


22 


MIDDLEBURY  COLLEGE  BULLETIN 


into  our  national  life  trained  in  some  of  these  good, 
old-fashioned  doctrines  of  self-denial,  economy,  thrift, 
willingness  to  work  and  obedience  to  lawful  author- 
ity, and  a high  sense  of  duty.  Such  men  and  women 
help  to  correct  slothful  and  selfish  tendencies. 

And  so,  while  I believe  in  and  appreciate  very 
much  the  splendid  work  that  has  been  done  and  is 
being  done  and  the  great  opportunities  offered  by 
the  larger  universities,  I also  feel  that  in  our  national 
life  there  is  abundant  opportunity  for  the  so-called 
smaller  colleges  to  create  strong  characters,  men  and 
women,  who  will  be  most  important  factors  in  the 
very  difficult  work  this  country  must  perform  in  the 
next  twenty-five  years  under  the  new  and  changed 
economic  conditions  which  confront  all  the  world. 


